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PATHIAN PRINCE: Restricted winner
photo: Alun Sedgmore

Ioan Thomas realised a dream on Saturday at the Vale of Clettwr Hunt Point-to-Point, making his first ever ride a winning one aboard Wyn Morris' Backstreet Lad in the Hunt Members race.

Past experience as whipper-in for the Clettwr the last eight years stood him in good stead to win by a distance from Treasury Council and Isabel Tompsett. 

An enthusiastic crowd welcomed him in, pleased to be at the races, appreciating the Vale of Clettwr Committee's efforts to stage racing after re-seeded ground at the original course; Erw Lon became unfit for racing after heavy rain, re-directing the meeting to Lydstep.

The Cheltenham Foxhunter is on the agenda for five length winner of the Mens Open race, Dead or Alive, trained by Abbi Vaughan and ridden by Llangeinor jockey Evan David. Evan went on to ride a double at the meeting, the second for Trainer Sam Butler in the Confined race aboard Liberty Rock. The duo had to fight hard to the line to win by a length, as Jodie Hughes was throwing everything she could at runner-up Moonlight Music.

Naughty by Nature is aptly named because you can never be sure what kind of mood he's in. A previous run this season down in Devon yielded a poor performance which baffled connections but today saw his other side, always racing prominently and jumping well under Jodie Hughes the partnership went on over the final circuit to win the Ladies Open race by five lengths from the staying on Kisha King, ridden by Anna Metekohy having her first Point-to-Point ride.

14 went to post in the Restricted race, with course specialist and 6-4 joint favourite Pathian Prince notching up his third win under a supremely confident ride from John Mathias. The South Pembrokeshire-qualified horse looked very fit in the paddock and will be hard to beat back over the course when returning on Easter Monday.

John de Lisle Wells took time out from stewarding at the meeting to change into the role of Owner and had great pleasure in welcoming back both his runners as winners; Lady Darcy, trained by Julie Houldey, de Lisle Wella bought as a foal for £800 from Doncaster sales and she proved a classy winner of the mares Maiden. A qualifier for the PPA & PPORA Maiden Mares series, connections are now keen to pursue the series. Owner and Rider, Dave Mansell, were back in the winners enclosure two races later with odds-on favourite, Lord Brownlow for the horses and geldings Maiden division two; this time Robert Luke took training honours and co-owns with de Lisle Wells' lifelong friend David Morgan.

Bloodstock agent Grant Lewis has made another successful Irish purchase this time for The Big Dreamers Partnership in the shape of Bob's Law. Trained for the syndicate by Robert Scrine and ridden by Paul Tolman in division one of the horses and geldings Maiden, the Carmarthenshire-qualified horse looks sure to be back in the winners enclosure again this season after a one-and-a-half length victory over Cilrhiwron and Bradley Gibbs.

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